Cheney’s Diondre Moore-Young, among the state leaders in both hurdles, won the high hurdles at last week’s Mooberry Relays. (Dan Pelle)

Cheney’s Moore-Young moves on from tough junior season

April 28, 2011By Dave Trimmer (Davet@Spokesman.Com)

Centennial celebration

The Mead boys cruised to the team title at the 47th Centennial Invitational in Gresham, Ore., with 81 points, 24 more than Newberg, Ore.

Wes Bailey had a Washington state best in winning the 200-meter run (21.78 seconds) and sophomore
Anthony Gardner won the 3,000 (8:39.46). Bailey anchored the winning 400 relay (42.70).
Sean Keller of Heritage of Vancouver threw the javelin 232 feet, 1 inch, a Washington record, a national best and sixth all time.

Among girls,
Haley Crowse, a sophomore at Gresham, threw the javelin 173-0, less than 4 feet from the national record. Her brother Sam holds the boys record. Her cousin
Ryan Crowse, who goes to Barlow in Gresham, threw the shot 72-7½ and the discus 208-5 on Saturday.

Cheney’s Diondre Moore-Young prefers to keep his past behind him, much as he does opponents when he runs hurdles, or the 100, or a relay.

Moore has chosen to move on from his past, other than to say he learned his lesson.

Moore-Young offers a short explanation for why he missed the end of his junior track season.

“I got in a fight,” he said. “I guess they just didn’t like me.”

“He basically got jumped in the parking lot by four guys,” Cheney track coach Todd Hering said. “One was carrying a knife. He was essentially defending himself, but because there was a lot of stuff to sort through, district policy says he has to be suspended.”

A police report cleared Moore-Young, but the damage was done.

“Once all the dust settled, the track season was over,” Hering said.

It was a bitter disappointment. Moore-Young was a state contender in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, a potential placer in the 100, and the 400 relay could have scored, which might have added up to a team trophy for the Blackhawks.

“I wanted to be there,” Moore-Young said. “I knew I could compete with guys at state.”

Hering said Moore-Young had a reputation as “the man” in middle school, the guy everyone challenges to make a name.

“Talking to people, they say he never starts a fight but he gets in a lot of them,” Hering said. “I think he didn’t always make the best decisions or hang out with all the right people.”

After a long summer, his comeback started in football, the favorite sport of the 5-foot-9, 172-pound speedster, but not until he sat out a mandated four-game suspension.

“I took it like a chip on my shoulder,” Moore-Young said. “I was going to prove everybody wrong, that I wasn’t a bad kid. I was going to go out there and do what I had to do and not say anything about it.”

The result was a five-touchdown outburst his first game back.

“My teammates helped me through it,” he said. “I just wanted to do it for them and get started on my season. It felt great to get out there. When I finally got out there, I let my play do the talking.”

Despite the abbreviated season, Moore-Young, a three-year starter and four-year letterman, was an All-Great Northern League linebacker for the second straight season, and an all-league running back.

Hering said that he thought Moore-Young could be a multiyear starter as a defensive back for a Big Sky school or a one- or two-year starter at the Pac-10 level.

“He sees the field so well,” Hering said. “He anticipates better than anyone I’ve ever seen in high school football. And he’s on course to graduate. Has everything he needs.”

Moore-Young, who said he would walk-on to play football if track was his only scholarship offer, played his third year of basketball, his “for-fun” sport, and then came track.

“I knew since I missed last year I had to make it up this year,” he said. “I had to let everybody know I’m going to compete to be the best. Nothing fell off. I’m still going to be on top of my game and try as hard as I can.”

He has been among the state leaders in both hurdles (14.78, 36.67) and won the 110s at both Pasco and Mooberry.

“Not once has he complained about the punishment,” Hering said. “He’s a great kid. He’s never been disrespectful to me, always done what we ask. He’s kind of risen from the ashes. He has more focus than I’ve ever seen. He’s really getting after it.”

“There are always different ways to get out of situations, not just one way,” Moore-Young said of the lesson he’s learned.

About that weather

South Hill rivals Ferris and Lewis and Clark had quite a showdown in boys track last week at Ferris with the host Saxons winning 73-71. Asked if there was anything of interest since the meet-concluding 1,600 relay didn’t decide it, LC coach Chase Rhodes said, “Nothing exciting from me, just another wonderfully cold, wet and miserable Northwest spring day.” The real difference was the Tigers’ favored 400 relay team dropping the baton with the lead.

And when the results from Mead came in last Thursday, Panthers girls coach Dori Robertson wrote, “As far as the times go – if the times are to the 100th of a second, they REALLY are FAT (electronic) timed. If they are to the 10th, they are hand-timed. The FAT timing system worked very well until the snow started coming at it sideways.”

Fast laps

Major meets have run the mile on three consecutive weekends and the fallout is impressive for girls. Amy Eloise-Neale of Glacier Peak is the national leader (4:48.01) by 1 second over Maddie Meyers of Northwest. The GSL has Katie Knight of North Central in fifth (4:53.80) and Kendra Weitz of Shadle Park seventh (4:56.26). For good measure the state has a fifth member in the top 15 – the third for the GSL – with Mead’s Baylee Mires 14th (4:58.43).

Last lap

Missoula transfer Morgan Struble of Coeur d’Alene has gone 14.96 in the 100 hurdles and 45.86 in the 300s. The time for the 100s not only leads the state, it breaks a school record dating to 1977. … The Waldens of Newport had a good Saturday in Priest River. Aric and Arielle set meet records in both hurdles at the Priest River Invite. Aric went 14.5 in the 110s and 40.2 in the 300s, Arielle 15.4 in the 100s and 48.9 in the 300s. It was Newport’s day as Sophie Bush had records in the 800 (2:25.2) and 1,600 (5:37.3), and Aaron Castle increased his state-leading shot put mark to 60-6. Arielle also won the long and triple jumps, but Priest River edged the Grizzlies for the girls team title 155.33-140. Aric teamed up with three freshmen to win the 1,600 relay and Newport’s boys outscored the Spartans 156-120. … Matt Wardell of Post Falls was at 47-3 in the shot put a week ago, then went 56-1 and 56-8 in consecutive meets. …Central Valley sophomore Katie Wardsward broke the Mooberry hammer record with a throw of 117-6. The previous mark, set the first year of the event in 2009, was set by sister Kelsey, who attended University. … The Inland Empire League championships are at 2 p.m. today at Lake City. … The GSL girls title should be decided today with Central Valley going to Mead in a battle of unbeatens. … Many GSL athletes are headed to the Coast, boys at Shoreline, girls at Lake Washington, in rare non coed gatherings. … The Riverside Invitational on Saturday has 32 teams entered.